Sleep Tight, Young Master
by KuroFan4235
Summary: A one shot set about two months after Ciel and Sebastian form their contract and Ciel's scared at night.  Enjoy!


**Gussuri oyasumi, Bocchan, yoi yume o.** _OR_ Sleep tight, young master, sweet dreams.

A/N: Hey, guys. Here's a little one shot that I've been working on. It takes place about two months after Sebastian and Ciel form the contract. Hope you like it!

I could hear the rumbling of thunder as I went about several of the tasks that I hadn't been able to attend to during the day. A storm was coming. Usually, I enjoyed storms: If I could manage it, I would go up into the clouds and run about, dodging lightning and hearing the crash of thunder around me. Doing such a thing was thrilling and even if lightning did strike me, it was painful for only a moment. Tonight, however, I could not enjoy myself as I pleased. My master had ordered me to stay in the manor during the night, so that was what I had to do. I had a strong suspicion that his nerves had been bothering him and I knew he was reassured by my presence, hence his order to remain in the manor. He knew I would protect him far better than any human bodyguard.

It had been two months since entering this master's service. So far, I had found him very…interesting. He had been through so much and things that would have broken or sullied a lesser person had left his will unbroken and his soul untainted. As soon as I'd seen him I was captivated by him _and_ his soul and I knew that this contract was one that I would see through to the very end.

These past two months had been an education in the care of a human child. I'd seen and interacted with human children before, but never had I had a human child for a master. He was serious and determined and mostly quite unlike a child, but there were times when his true nature shone through. Sometimes it was a mere glimmer but other times it was a blaze that stupefied. There were times when he did not wish to eat the appropriate foods for a growing child, when he did not wish to go to bed at the appropriate time for a child, and he did not wish to attend to the lessons children needed to learn. I found his stubbornness most trying. I'd had no such trouble with previous masters. They'd known what was necessary for their health and for themselves, but it seemed a child did not develop such sense until he was older. Some days my master was willing to do as he needed to do and other days he was so intractable that I found myself ready to climb the walls with frustration.

Normally, my human masters did not frustrate me to any extent, so this was a very new state of things. Before this master I'd been quite bored for some time and now the boredom had been banished, but I had not counted on being irritated out of my mind.

Today had been trying in the extreme. He'd been in a foul mood when I woke him, toyed with his breakfast, and then demanded a snack around eleven since he was hungry. Doing so would spoil his appetite for lunch, so I'd denied him a snack on those grounds and because he had not finished his school lessons for the morning. I told him that it had been my experience that youngsters who did not fulfill their obligations did not get treats. _That_ earned me a book thrown at my head and a shouted order to leave the room. An hour later at lunchtime he was more than happy to sit down to blanquette de veau, broccoli au beurre citron, and framboise gateau. They were new recipes I'd found and I could tell that he thought a white veal stew with mushrooms over rice was delicious, but the broccoli cooked with lemon butter he left on the plate before attacking the gateau. Most irksome, especially since I'd labored over that broccoli and the sauce. Didn't he realize how difficult it was to make sure the broccoli did not end up as mush and the sauce did not turn bitter in the making?

I had to remind him about the need for proper nutrition. "You have forgotten to eat your broccoli, young master."

He froze, his fork poised above the gateau. "I'm not in the mood for broccoli, Sebastian."

"Nonetheless, it should be eaten, young master," I pressed. "It is important to your health."

He looked ready to stab me with his fork. "Five little bunches of broccoli won't make much difference one way or the other," he snapped. "I'm not in the least inclined to be plagued about eating vegetables today. Don't you have something to do?"

I always had something to do, so I went off to do it. I knew that eventually I would have to hire more servants…perhaps a housemaid, gardener, and chef. Some of the more onerous chores would be removed from my shoulders and I would be able to devote a little more time to the master, but in the meantime most labor fell to me. I couldn't ask Mr. Tanaka to do it since he was already doing the job of house steward and that seemed to be all he could handle. No, there was no other alternative; I would have to hire more servants on top of everything else I had to do.

Things were peaceful until tea time. I'd made a fine pot of the master's favorite Earl Grey blend tea, several petit fours and delicate little sandwiches whose savory fillings disguised the finely chopped spinach I'd added, but he merely nibbled a petit four and sipped his tea. He did not touch the sandwiches. I was clearing away when he stopped in the doorway and turned around. "Sebastian?"

"Yes, my lord?"

"Spinach does not belong in ham or chicken salad sandwiches."

I'd realized within a day of contracting with him that he was perceptive, but why, oh why did he have to pick up on certain things? If he continued in this way he would remain tiny and become sickly! "Yes, my lord."

Madame Bright arrived just after tea for the master's violin lesson and while he was occupied I took the time to do a little reading. I'd found a book concerning the care of children in the library and I hoped that there would be something useful in there, but the book only stated the need for proper nutrition in youngsters, not how to go about ensuring they ate the proper foods. I'd already tried everything I could think of, so I knew it was time to put the problem aside for the time being. Perhaps a solution would present itself later.

The evening meal that night was herb roasted chicken, duchess potatoes, and string beans with ginger. Those, thankfully, he ate. He was more than happy to eat the crème brulee I was serving for dessert that night and he spent a peaceful evening in the library reading. The sudden peace made me think that things had quieted down and I was thankful for it.

I should have known better. When I entered the library to tell the master it was time for him to retire he shot me a glare that would have frozen a human in his steps.

"I'm not tired," he said in response to my reminder about bedtime. "Leave me."

"I am sorry, sir, but it is time to prepare for bed."

"I told you I'm not tired yet!" he snapped. "I want to finish my book."

I looked at the book he held and gave an inward wince. He'd only read half of it and I knew that if he stayed up to finish it his mood would be absolutely _foul_ in the morning due to missed sleep. As his butler I was bound to follow his orders but I was also bound to take care of him and see to his welfare. I thought about the situation for a moment before plucking the book from his hands.

He leapt from his chair in outrage. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I am following my orders as best I can, bocchan," I told him. "The day after we first contracted, you told me that since you were still a child I would have to help you take care of yourself sometimes. It seems to me that today you aren't doing a very good job of that on your own, so I am stepping in."

"What do you mean I'm not doing a good job on my own?" he snarled. He was angry, but he was willing to listen.

"You didn't eat enough breakfast so you were hungry before lunch and requested a snack. I didn't bring you one since that would have spoiled your appetite for lunch and because you didn't do your school lessons for today. Then you wouldn't eat the vegetables I served you at lunch, nor would you touch the sandwiches that would have made up for that at tea. Now, you do not wish to go to bed when you know you will be tired tomorrow if you don't get enough rest tonight. You haven't eaten properly today, you've neglected some of your daily duties, and you do not wish to get the rest you need. It seems you need me to step in and help you take better care of yourself."

"I do as I please!" he snapped, reaching for his book.

I quickly moved it out of his reach. "Young master, it is time to prepare for bed. You can finish this book tomorrow during your leisure time."

"I want to finish it now!" he growled. "Do as I tell you!"

If he didn't explicitly tell me an instruction was an order, then according to our contract I didn't have to do it. Sometimes an order was an order and other times it was just human grouchiness. I'd learned the difference over the past few months and I knew when it was safe to ignore an order and when it had to be followed. I only hoped he wouldn't remember that he would have to tell me something was an _order_. Then I would have to follow it.

"It is almost bedtime, young master," I reminded him. "You must surely be tired."

He looked ready to kill me and I decided to make the book a non-issue. I placed it on the end table and picked up my master, holding him so that he would find it difficult to pull out of my arms. Then, listening all the while to him shouting at me, I carried him out of the library and to the bathroom adjoining his room. I set him on his feet and began to undress him and suddenly, he was quiet.

I couldn't tell if this change was a good thing or not. I sneaked a glance at his face while I unbuttoned his jacket and I could tell that he was seething, but he wasn't doing anything else. His entire body was radiating righteous indignation and he was still glaring at me, but he hadn't given me an explicit order according to our contract to stop what I was doing. That meant that I could continue.

"I can't believe I'm obeying a butler," he muttered as I helped him into his bath. "It is a butler's duty to obey his master's orders."

"Ah, but you did not give me a true order, young master," I said lightly, using a sponge to wet down his back. "You have to tell me that something is an order if you truly want me to follow it." I could be generous by reminding him of that little tidbit of information. After all, I was the adult, and it didn't matter if I were a human adult or a demon adult. He was the child and children, demon or human, required care. One had to be careful to see to their physical needs but also their emotional needs as well. My being generous toward him when he was in a foul mood would tell him that he could trust me with his emotional needs, which was what I wanted. _Trust_ always gave such a delicious flavor to souls and a human master who trusted you to even the smallest degree was easier to serve.

Again, he glared at me. "Why are you being so difficult today?"

"I might ask the same thing, my lord," I said, being sure to keep my tone as light as the air itself.

"Hmph."

No orders were given to me while I gave him his bath, nor did he give me any orders while I dressed him in a fresh nightshirt and saw him to bed. As he settled into his bed I took the candle and headed to the door, but an order stopped me for a moment.

"You are not to leave the manor tonight," he said firmly. "This is an order."

I turned and bowed. "Yes, my lord."

Now, thinking over that, I was still wondering exactly why he'd given me such an order. Was it only his nerves or had he ordered me to remain in the manor because he'd suspected I would have liked to go out in the storm?

A bright flash of lightning and a crash of thunder made me regret his order all the more. What was it like out there in the middle of the storm with the wind and rain?

A scream had me pelting along the hall and upstairs before it had ceased echoing through the house. Down the hall, across the great hall, up the stairs, down another hall, through the master's bedroom door and…

I'd expected ruffians and thugs armed to the teeth about to attack my master, but instead I found an empty room and a lump trembling under the bedcovers. "Young master? Was that you I heard?"

A tousled head and wide eyes emerged to stare at me. "What did you hear?"

"I heard a scream," I said, wondering what was wrong with him. Despite the dim light of the room I could tell there was no color in his face whatsoever, and it wasn't natural for him to shake like that.

Another bright flash of lightning and a crash of thunder told me that yes, it had been him screaming. He gasped and a moment later he was back under the blankets, still shaking.

I couldn't believe it. He was frightened? A storm was enough to frighten him? He, who had been through horrors most men couldn't understand, was frightened of something as simple as a storm?

Sometimes a little fear could be good for humans. It was a healthy way their species had to keep them safe from harm, but too much fear could be detrimental. As the Phantomhive butler, it was my duty to make sure that my master was well, and I could tell that he was so afraid that he'd gone almost numb.

Only a week after I'd entered his service I witnessed something that had left me very shaken. My master had been seized with a fit of nerves so severe that he'd withdrawn from me and apparently the world itself. I knew that he'd woken up that morning feeling anxious and I had been able to tell that he'd had nightmares all night about his captivity and by tea time his nerves had gotten to him. He'd been too anxious and afraid to even speak. That condition had started with his going numb. He'd emerged from the fit and had seemed fine afterward, but I wasn't sure then if he was truly all right. Remembering how that last fit had started I could tell that if I didn't take action now he'd enter that catatonic state in only a short time. Surely that wasn't good.

"It's all right, young master," I said, going quickly to his side. "It's only a storm."

I didn't think the sounds coming out from under the covers were words in any sense. Worried now, I pulled the blankets away from him and sat down beside him. "Bocchan?"

I received the shock of my life when he flung himself at me, locked his arms around me and buried his face in my waistcoat. He was shaking and making sounds of distress that I'd never heard pass his lips. "Make it stop!" I heard him shout at last, his voice muffled by my waistcoat.

"The storm?" I said, rather surprised. "Is the storm frightening you, bocchan?"

"Make it stop, make it stop, make it STOP!"

His reaction indicated that I had asked an exceedingly stupid question, but even I could not stop a storm. I could change its path before it began to storm but I could not stop it once it had begun. I thought furiously: It was important that I reassure him somehow before he entered that catatonic state again, but how…

I stopped, suddenly enlightened. "Even I cannot stop a storm, young master," I said gently. "Besides, there is no need to do so since you humans have already done that."

For the first time since he'd attached himself to me like a limpet he lifted his head and looked at me. "Wh-what?"

"Humans have built houses. Those houses have roofs, and those simple inventions stop storms from reaching you," I said. "There is no rain falling on you, there is no wind buffeting you, and the only way lightning or thunder can reach you in here is through harmless flashes of light and sound. Something so simple that humans have made has already vanquished the storm, young master. Its puny strength has been overcome. There is no reason to fear that it can harm you."

I could feel him relaxing. He was calming down and coming back to himself, retreating from that catatonic state that had frightened me so much. Another few minutes passed and he did not let go of me. He shifted a few times, but he did not let go.

Demons are intelligent, but there are times when they find human beings terribly difficult to understand. At the moment, I was having a great deal of trouble understanding why he still had his arms latched around me. I could tell that he was reassured and feeling more like himself, so why…I stopped my mind and thought about it.

Oh.

I wrapped my arms around my master and held him, much the way a human would hold another. If I'd thought him relaxed before, then he was even more relaxed as soon as I hugged him. Something like giving a hug was not usual behavior for demons…this was a new experience for me. Why did humans find it so reassuring? They knew they weren't alone when they were afraid; there were always other people around. Why did a hug make such a difference? I figured I might never know, but I did keep my arms around him. Until he let me know he was ready for me to let go, I would hold him.

So I held him. I held him for close to an hour and his fear abated only a little bit. He was still trembling and he tensed each time we heard thunder and I knew I had to try something else. What would work best, though? I needed to restore his confidence in himself and remind him that he didn't need to be afraid.

It took me far too long to remember what would work best. Had all this time spent taking care of a child taken away my brain? I was ready to smack myself for not realizing it sooner. "Are you sure it's such a good idea to show so much weakness in front of me, young master?"

He looked up at me, clearly surprised. "Weakness?"

"If you were a human child I'd just chanced upon and you turned to me for this kind of comfort, it would be the work of a moment to steal your soul while I comforted you," I told him. "You're not afraid of what I could do?"

He sat up a little straighter and looked me in the eye. "Of course not."

I smiled. "Why?"

"Because I know you won't hurt me," he said firmly. "The contract ensures that you'll serve and protect me until I have my revenge. You won't take my soul until my revenge has been completed."

His trembling subsided as he spoke. "Why did you decide to sign a contract with me, young master? It wasn't only to gain a butler, was it?"

He glared at me. "Now you're being ridiculous. Why do you think? I knew what I wanted and I knew you could give it to me. I knew that I would be able to humiliate my enemies if I had you by my side. That's all."

My smile grew wider and I could feel my demon nature gleaming in my eyes. "Yes, my lord."

He gave me a long look. "You're slipping, Sebastian. You're letting your true self show."

"Only a little," I said gently. "I must say, young master, I am quite glad that I contracted with you."

He raised an eyebrow. "You are? Aren't I just another meal?"

"There are meals and there are meals, young master. And there are contracts and there are contracts."

He stopped and I could tell that he was thinking about it. "Do you have a favorite contract, Sebastian? Do you remember them all?"

"Every one, as I shall remember you, young master, and yes, I do have a few favorite contracts."

"Would you tell me what they are, or is that too personal a question for you to answer?"

I smiled and thought about it. I was pleased that he'd thought about my feelings, although he really didn't need to do so. My emotions were not like a human's. "Oh, I have several favorites, young master. Would you like me to tell you about some of them?" After all, I had no reservations about doing so and I had said that I would tell him stories if he wished. What kinds of stories could be better? They would be interesting enough to distract him from the storm.

"Yes, please."

I could tell that he'd been taught very well about manners when he'd been young and the small courtesy pleased me. "I think the most interesting contract I ever served was to an old woman. She had lost her son and she summoned me."

He shifted and looked up at me, confusion clearly written on his face. "Why?"

The oldest of children's questions made me smile again. "She wanted to have him back again, no matter what. I was either to locate him and bring him back if I could or I was to do my best to return him to her in some form. He was beyond my reach entirely since he had passed on, but I could return him in some form to his mother."

He stared at me. "If he was beyond your reach, then how did you manage that?"

I'd trusted him to ask that. "I took his form."

I could tell that I'd surprised him. "Could she tell it was you?"

"Yes, she knew it was me, but I knew she was willing to fool herself into thinking she had her son again."

He was quiet while he absorbed this. "What was it like?"

"For fifteen years I was, in essence, her son," I said. "I lived like a human in every way and I called her 'Mother.' I slept at night, ate the meals she prepared for me, and spent time with her during the day. My name for those fifteen years was her son's name and I was her son until she died."

"What happened when she died?"

"She told me that she was happy her soul would be with me forever since I was her boy," I explained. "When she was dead, I arranged a burial, tidied away her affairs like a good son should, and I said goodbye to that part of my life and I left."

He shifted again and leaned his head against my shoulder. "Have you ever gone back to pay your respects?"

I knew I should have expected such a question. "A few times, just as a good son should, young master." I could tell that he was getting tired, but he was thinking about something and so he was unwilling to try going to sleep. "What are you thinking about, young master?"

"Do you remember every contract you've ever had? I mean, their names and who they were and where they were from?"

"I remember every detail about each of them," I assured him. Suddenly, I realized that this might have been what was bothering him so much and why he was so reluctant to go back to sleep. "Bocchan, was the storm all that frightened you, or did you have a bad dream?"

His arms tightened around me once again. "A bad dream."

"Would you like to tell me about it?"

"I was alone. No one had ever known I'd existed and for some reason, that terrified me. I started screaming in my dream and I guess I screamed out loud and when I woke up the thunder and lightning scared me even more."

Ah, it was clear at last. Now his questions made sense. "That is not something you need to fear with me, young master. I shall remember you for all eternity. As long as I live, knowledge of you will never die."

He looked up at me, saw my smile, and leaned against me again. "I'm glad." He stopped and appeared to be thinking. "Sebastian, do you think I'll ever feel safe again?"

"It's possible, young master," I told him. "It's very possible. I do know that I shall protect you all the days of your life, and a demon's protection is no small thing."

He nodded. "Yes." He yawned. "I don't want to go to sleep, but I'm so _tired_, Sebastian."

In the first week or so after we had returned to the manor, my master had spent the majority of time asleep. He would wake often with nightmares and I would have to comfort him and coax him back to sleep and more than once I'd heard him say the same thing in the same tone of voice. Hearing that told me that he was exhausted in every way and _needed_ to sleep.

"It is safe to sleep, young master," I said softly. I pitched my voice so that it would catch his attention, hold it, and soothe him. "Not even dreams will reach you if you do not wish it."

The tension began to drain from him and he rested against me, actually settling his head against my shoulder as if it were a pillow.

"I will protect you while you rest, master," I continued, allowing my wings to show. A moment later, with only a whisper of sound, I had wrapped them around us, using them effectively as the softest and warmest blanket he'd ever feel. I smiled when I felt his hand reach out and stroke my feathers and he sighed and snuggled against me.

Human beings were so...intriguing. I was the being who would one day swallow his soul and here he was, cuddled against me like a lamb cuddled against its mother. I was more than happy to let him stay where he was. When a human felt safe and protected his soul gained a sweet and delicate flavor, and the more protection and safety I gave, the better the flavor. Aside from that, it was...nice, I suppose...to hold him in my arms and help him feel protected.

I didn't know just when he fell asleep, but I indulged myself for another hour or so holding him. I enjoyed watching him sleep and more than once his hand would reach out and stroke my feathers. Eventually, his body relaxed completely and I knew that he was so deeply asleep that nothing I could do would wake him. Carefully, I moved him from my lap and settled him under the covers, tucking him in securely against any chill.

"Sleep tight, young master," I whispered. "Sweet dreams."


End file.
